Cinderella
by keelykelly
Summary: What if Cinderella's stepmoth had kicked her out when she discovered the girl's father was dead. What if Cinderella grew up having to fight for what she needed... or steal it? I hope you like it! I do not own the song in this story. it belongs to disney!
1. Cinderella

A six year old girl was sitting in the living room, listening to a crew member from a ship talk to her stepmother.

"He's gone." The crew member said "I'm sorry. He went overboard and we couldn't get to him."

The stepmother wiped away crocodile tears "Thank you. I'm sure you did everything. You may go."

The man bowed, and then left the house.

As soon as the door shut, the stepmother, Lady Guinevere, walked over to the young girl.

"Did you hear that girl? Your father is dead." Lady Guinevere smirked "You are not my child. You're nobody's child."

The girl sniffled, her blue eyes brimming with tears.

Lady Guinevere's two daughters, Lizzie and Lulu, peeked around the corner and laughed "She's an orphan! She's an orphan!"

Her stepmother grabbed her wrist and pulled her from her spot on the couch "I will not deal with you. I have enough responsibilities without having to take a child that isn't even mine!"

She dragged the frightened girl out the door and into the family carriage.

"Where are we going?" the girl whispered as the speeding carriage caused the wind to blow her blond hair around her face.

"To get rid of you." Lady Guinevere snapped "You are going to the orphanage!"

The young girl gasped as tears spilt down her cheek. She'd heard about the orphanage. They said that the owner was ruthless and mean. She treated the children like slaves. They said the orphanage was cold and dark, and the sunshine didn't even shine on it. They said that only the cruelest person left a child there, and many people that were considered mean and heartless wouldn't think about leaving their children there.

When the carriage halted, the girl looked at the building and began to shake uncontrollably.

It was three stories tall and made of grey bricks. It's black shutters and black door emphasized the haunted look.

"How many children do you have?" Lady Guinevere called to the house.

"None." The answer came as the door opened to reveal a lady that looked like she stepped out of a horror story. Her face was pinched up and she had a long crooked nose. Her hair was grey, frazzled and streaked with black. She had on large pointed glasses, and her eyes were squinted and hard. She had a hunched back and boney hands that were covered in moles and wrinkles.

"Well, I have one for you." Lady Guinevere yanked the girl from the carriage and pulled her towards the house.

"No. please." The girl whimpered "I'll be good. I'll do anything you want!"

"Be quiet!" Lady Guinevere snapped.

Now, the girl was panicking. The old lady was coming closer, a wicked grin on her face.

Just as the old woman was about to grab her, the girl let out a frightened scream. Her fear and desperation gave her added strength as she yanked loose from her stepmother and ran away, deep into the forest.

"Get back here!" Her stepmother screamed, but she didn't stop. She was too scared to stop. She ran until she collapsed from exhaustion. She just laid there in the dirt and cried until she didn't have any tears left. Hours later, she got to her feet and walked until she found the town. It was getting dark and the respectable people were closing up shop and going to bed.

"Excuse me." The girl said as a man brushed past her. but he didn't stop. She tried several more times to get someone's attention, but they either chased her away or ignored her.

She finally backed into an ally and sat down. It was getting cold and she was hungry. But no one extended any kindness to the girl.

The next morning, she woke up to see an old man in a tattered cloak looking at her.

She gasped and backed away from him until she was in the corner.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The man said "I'm here to help you." He tossed a piece of bread in her lap "Eat."

She looked at the bread for a second, then picked it up and hungrily ate it.

"You don't have a home, do you?" the old man asked.

She shook her head, still devouring the food.

"Well, you'll have to learn to get along on your own."

"How?" she asked as she finished swallowing the rest of the bread.

"She speaks." The old man chuckled. Then he became serious "On the streets, you have to fend for yourself. You have to take to survive."

"You mean steal?" The girl gasped.

The man nodded "Unless you want to die from starvation." He stood up "Today, and only today, I'll show you how to do it. But after today, you're on your own."

The girl stood up "Thank you." She whispered.

The old man nodded, then headed out of the ally with the girl right behind him.

He bumped into a man "Oh. So sorry sir."

The man huffed and walked off grumbling. As soon as he turned the corner, the old man held up a wallet "Easy. Now follow me." He took her back into the woods and started teaching her how to snatch things from people's pockets. At first, she couldn't get the wallet away from him, but as the day went by, she became more and more subtle.

When she had finally gotten averagely good at snatching the wallet from him, he told her to walk off and try to sneak up on him.

"Are you going to try and get it yet?" he asked "I'll just catch you like I've been doing."

Five more minutes passed "Okay kid. Come on out! I'm finished waiting."

The girl walked to where he was.

"I waited forever for you to get this wallet!" he said, sticking his hand in his pocket "And I am…" he pulled his hand back out of his pocket and checked his other one.

The girl laughed and held the wallet out to him "Looking for this by any chance?"

The old man chuckled "You're a better thief than I thought." He took the wallet and stuck it in his pocket "You're on your own now kid. Good luck." Then he walked away.

And that's how her life ran, she stole to survive. But, she never stole money, only food. Every now and then, she'd go back to the orphanage to make sure there were no more kids sent there. And over the period of fourteen years, she rescued three kids from the place and took care of them. She didn't like stealing, but knowing she was taking care of others made it easier.

The town had grown use to the girl, although they hated her. They never when she was going to pop up and take some food they were selling or taking home. And since no one knew her name, they called her Cinderella, because she was covered in dirt and her clothes were ratty and torn. But even though the adults despised her, the children loved her. They saw the beauty beneath the dirt and tattered clothes. They could see the Diamond in the rough.


	2. Asher

**Cinderella peeked around **a corner at a vegetable cart nearby. She looked back at the ten year old girl, Jilly and smiled. Jilly was the first child that Cinderella had rescued. The other two were Tanya, who was six, and Jonny, who was three.

"I'll distract. You grab the food."

Jilly nodded "Got it. Just avoid the brustel sprouts, right?"

Cinderella nodded "But if that's the only thing you can grab, it's better than nothing." She walked around the corner and waved to the vegetable man "Hi Sir. How are you?"

The man squinted his eyes at her "Stay away from my vegetables Cinderella!"

"Hey." She held up her hands as she walked to the far end of the cart "I'm not taking anything from you."

The man continued to watch her suspiciously, having no clue that Jilly was clearing the other side of his cart. When she got done, she disappeared around the corner.

"Later Hank." Cinderella laughed as she ran down the street.

Hank grumbled and turned back to his selling's. When he saw the empty side of his cart, he growled in rage. That girl had done it again!

Cinderella passed the center of town where a bunch of girls were playing with their dolls.

"Cinderella!" they squealed as she walked towards them. They jumped to their feet and ran to her "Hi Cinderella!"

"Hey girls." Cinderella smiled "What are y'all doing this beautiful day?"

"Playing." One answered, holding out her doll "You want to hold her?"

"Oh, no. that's alright." She patted the girl on the top of her head "I don't want to get her dirty."

"Okay."

Cinderella looked back down the road and laughed "I have to go. The welcoming committee is coming." Then she ran.

The cops went running past the children blowing their whistles and shouting.

The little girls just looked at each other and shrugged. Then they continued playing.

Cinderella ran the cops all over town until she finally lost them in the woods.

"Come on." One said "We lost her. Again."

From her position on a tree, Cinderella watched them till they left, then she dropped to the ground and went to where her three charges were waiting.

"What took you so long?" Jilly asked.

"Sorry. I had to shake the cops." Cinderella grabbed a carrot from the stack of food that Jilly had grabbed "Good job Jilly."

"Thanks."

"Cinderella." Tanya said "We'll we ever be able to eat without having to steal it first?"

Cinderella smiled at the girl "I wish we could. But I don't think that will ever happen." She pushed her blond hair out of her face "I do wish we didn't have to steal to eat."

Jilly nodded "Me too. But what can a girl do? Starve?"

"What about the boy?" Jonny demanded.

Cinderella tickled him "We have to keep you fed too."

She looked around at her little tribe and smiled. She wished there was a better life for them. They were so special.

Jilly had burnt red hair and brown eyes. Tanya had brown hair and blue eyes, and Jonny had black hair and green eyes.

"Tomorrow, I'll see if I can get us some meat." Cinderella said sitting down on a fallen tree "I hear the butcher is frying chickens for free."

The others laughed "Free chicken!"

So, they spent the rest of the day picking berries and handing out food to the other beggars.

When Cinderella woke up the next morning, she told Jilly to watch the kids, and then she left.

The smell of frying chicken and roasted pig was heavy in the air. She was slowly making her way towards the butcher's shop when an ear piercing whistle suddenly sounded two blocks away from her "There she is!" A cop shouted.

Cinderella rolled her eyes and groaned, and then she turned and ran.

"Stop her!" the cops shouted as they ran through town.

The kids were hopping up and down shouting "Go Cinderella! Go!"

Cinderella pressed ahead, trying to put some distance between her and the law. She finally managed to get a good bit ahead of them.

She chuckled "You can run but you can't keep up." She ran around a corner and collided with someone that was standing there, and they both hit the ground.

Cinderella jumped back to her feet as the other person stood "I am so sorr…" her voice trailed off as she looked up into a pair of clear blue eyes.

He seemed at a loss for words too as they just stood there staring at each other. But the moment was short lived as a police whistle filled the air.

"Oh! I have to go!" Cinderella started to run, but the boy stopped her.

"Are they after you?"

She nodded "Who else?"

He shrugged "I thought they were after me."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Then I guess we'd both better run."

"Over there!" one cop shouted, rounding the corner.

Cinderella grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled him into the woods.

He couldn't believe how fast she could run! He was running as fast as he could and she was still dragging him. She must have noticed he was struggling, because she looked back at him and said "How have you managed to stay away from them?"

"I've never had them chasing me before." He answered.

"Ah." She pointed to a tree "Can you climb?"

"No."

She sighed, but kept running. When they reached the tree, she jumped, grabbed a branch and pulled him up after her. She motioned for him to be quiet as the cops stopped and looked around.

"How does she do that?" one cop said. The others shrugged and then they went back to town.

Cinderella nodded to the boy, and then they both dropped to the ground.

"Thanks." He said.

She nodded as she studied him.

He was about six inches taller than her. He had black hair that made his blue eyes seem even bluer. His clothes were old and faded. He was of medium built and extremely handsome.

She looked down at her dusty, dirty, torn dress. Half of one sleeve was torn off. The half of the hem was out and the other half was missing. Her feet were bare and covered with dirt, as was the rest of her.

She pushed her hair away from her face, realizing for the first time that it had fallen out of its normal bun in the getaway and was now hanging loose around her shoulders "I've never seen you before." She said.

He smiled "I don't get around much. What's your name?"

"Cinderella."

He nodded "So you're the famous Cinderella that I've heard so much about." He studied her face for a moment "I have to admit. I didn't think you'd be so… Anyways."

Cinderella blushed as she bit back a smile "Hungry?" she pulled an apple out of her pocket and tossed it to him.

He caught it and looked at it "Where did this come from?"

She shrugged "I grabbed it while running through town." She pulled another apple from her pocket and bit into it.

He shrugged, and then ate the apple as instructed "So, why do you steal?"

"Have too to survive." She answered as they started walking "If I don't, my little group will go hungry."

"Group?"

"I take care of three kids." She smiled at him "It's not the life I'd prefer, but it's the one I've got."

"Why do you run the streets?"

She glanced at him, then continued walking "My stepmother tried to give me to Uganda when I was six. But I ran."

"I'm sorry." He shook his head "That should never happen to anybody."

She looked down at the ground, then back at him "I don't know your name."

"Oh." He laughed "I'm Asher."

"Asher?" She raised an eyebrow then chuckled "That's funny."

"How so?"

"Well," she tossed her apple core through the trees, and then turned to face him "I'm Cinderella. Your name is Asher. Cinder and Ashes."

He chuckled "That is funny. The names just go together."

"Cinderella!" Jilly suddenly ran up to them, and then she stopped "Oh. I didn't know someone was with you."

"Jilly, this is Asher" Cinderella said "Asher, this is Jilly."

"Hi." Asher smiled "It's nice to meet you."

Jilly nodded "You too." Then she turned to Cinderella "Tanya climbed a tree and now she won't come down!"

Cinderella laughed "I'm coming." She turned to Asher "It was nice meeting you."

He nodded "Maybe I'll see you again."

"Maybe."

Jilly grabbed her hand and started pulling her "Come on!"

Cinderella followed the girl, leaving Asher staring after them.

**The Queen called** one of the maids into the throne room "Where is he?"

The maid shrugged "We do not know, Your Majesty."

"Well find him! And find him NOW!" the queen screamed as the maid ran from the room.

The king walked in and looked at his wife "None of the guards have seen him."

"If they didn't protect this kingdom, I'd fire them all!" The queen sat down on her throne with a huff.

"We'll find him." The king said reassuringly "He's probably just hiding in the garden."

The doors suddenly swung open and the guards came in dragging a black haired boy with blue eyes.

"Asher!" The queen exclaimed "Where have you been?"

"We caught him climbing in through one of the windows." One of the guards said

"Why on earth were climbing through the window?" then she saw the old faded clothes he was wearing "And what are you wearing?!"

Asher shrugged the guards off "I was getting some fresh air." He looked at the guards "Dismissed."

"Yes Your Highness."

After the guards left, the queen spoke again "Where were you, and don't lie to me!"

"I was in town." Asher answered truthfully.

"Well, what happened to your clothes?" then the queen gasped "Were you robbed?"

"No. I took these from the gardener." The prince walked over to a window "It's different out there."

"Obviously." The king mumbled "Son. We told you never to leave the castle grounds."

"Mom! Dad! I'm twenty-one! I'm not exactly a child anymore." Asher shook his head "I just want a little adventure."

The queen's temper flew "Asher! If you want adventure, I'll give you adventure!" she got up from her throne and walked to her son "Here is your adventure. Finding a bride at the ball I'm going to throw!"

"Mom, I hate balls!" Asher groaned.

"Exactly." The queen turned on her heel and started heading for the door "You disobeyed me, son! Your punishment is to attend a ball. And you will find a bride. If you do not, I will find one for you!" with that she left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Asher's hands dropped to his side defeated.

The king chuckled "That's why I let her make all the decisions."

Asher looked out the window. What about Cinderella? He'd already fallen in love with her, and he was probably never going to see her again. Plus, he knew his parents would never agree to a girl who had to steal to survive. He shook his head sadly, now wishing he had never left the palace.


	3. Secret borrowing

**Cinderella was feeling **strangely happy. Almost like she was walking on air.

"What happened to her?" Tanya whispered to Jilly.

Jilly shrugged "I don't know. She's just… I don't know."

Cinderella picked up an apple and started eating it. What was wrong with her? she had never felt so jittery in all her life! She felt like laughing and singing, and spinning, and any other silly thing a girl would do. She needed something to distract her thoughts.

"Tanya, Jilly." She said "Let's go to town. Jonny, stay here. Crawl into your hole in the tree so no one finds you."

The three nodded, then the two girls followed Cinderella through the trees while Jonny crawled into the tree.

The girls peeked out from their hiding places and looked around. Almost all the food carts were gone. But the baker still had some smoked ham hanging outside his shop.

Cinderella was about to make a move when three figured caught her eye.

It was an older lady with two girls following behind her. All of them were dressed in flowing gowns and covered in jewelry. Their chins were held high as they walked through the street.

Cinderella's face clouded as she watched them walk by.

"What's wrong?" Jilly whispered.

Cinderella shook her head. She felt an involuntary shiver go up her spine.

**Lady Guinevere thought **she saw something move. But when she looked, there was nothing there.

"Mother!" Lizzie ran up behind her "Mother! Have you heard what the people are saying?"

"No. What?"

"They're talking about this girl that call Cinderella." Lulu said "They say she's been around for about fourteen years! No one knows where she came from. You don't suppose it's…"

Lady Guinevere silenced her daughter "Yes I do. That girl cost me a lot of money when she ran away."

"The cops are looking for her." Lizzie volunteered "They're offering a reward."

The older woman smiled "Well. We'll just have to see who gets it."

**When Cinderella and **the girls reached their camp, she collapsed onto the ground.

"Who was that woman?" Jilly asked.

"My stepmother." Cinderella answered "She tried to give me to the place that I took y'all from. But I ran."

"Oh." Tanya and Jilly looked at each other sadly. The only thing they could do was leave Cinderella to her thoughts.

The next morning, Tanya came tearing into the camp sight "Cinderella! Cinderella!"

"What?" Cinderella stood up from where she was building a fire.

"The King and Queen are throwing a ball!" Tanya answered "All sorts of royalty will be there. It's for their son to find a bride."

"I'm not following." Cinderella said confused "Why is this important?"

"If royals are going to be there, think of the food!"

Cinderella nodded "Ah-ha. Now I get it. We go to the ball and take the food."

Tanya nodded "Yeah! Can you imagine the food!"

"But how will we get in?"

"You'll dress up like a guest."

"Um, Tanya." Cinderella motioned to her dress "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion."

"Well, we can secretly borrow a dress." Jilly suggested.

"Secretly borrow?" Cinderella raised her eyebrows in amusement.

Tanya nodded "Yeah! We can make you look like a princess!"

"But I'm filthy!"

"We'll steal some soap and you can wash in the river."

"I can't dance."

"You don't have to!"

"People will recognize me."

"Not if you look like a princess."

"And besides." Jilly added "Think of the food!"

Jonny nodded emphatically "Yeah! Food!"

Cinderella laughed "Alright. I give in. I'll go."

"Well, we better hurry up and go secretly borrow that dress." Tanya said "The ball's tonight!"

"I'll get the soap!" Jilly volunteered.

"I'll get the dress!" Tanya said "Cinderella. You stay here and we'll be back."

Cinderella nodded reluctantly "Be careful."

"We will!" the two girls called as they disappeared through the trees.

Thirty minutes later, Jilly came back with the soap "I'm going to go help Tanya." Then she tossed Cinderella a hairbrush "You'll need this!"

Cinderella looked at the brush then reached up and touched her hair. She cringed "Yeah my hair is pretty bad."

An hour later, Cinderella was sitting on a log running the brush through her waist length hair. She was still wearing her torn dress since she didn't have anything else.

Jonny was watching her brush her hair "You're pretty."

Cinderella chuckled "Thank you, Jonny." She pushed her hair behind her shoulder and dropped the brush onto the ground. It felt weird not having three layers of dust on your skin.

Jilly and Tanya came into the clearing, toting a large box and a bag.

"What on earth is that?" Cinderella asked.

Jilly looked up at her and grinned "You look beautiful!"

Tanya gasped "You're hair's golden! I thought it was dirty blond."

Cinderella laughed "It was dirty blond." She pointed to the box and bag "What is that?"

"The box is the dress." Jilly answered "We didn't want it to get dirty on our way into the woods."

"And the bag is accessories!" Tanya sang.

"Accessories?" Cinderella raised an eyebrow "Why accessories?"

"Because, everyone's going to have accessories!" Jilly answered "Now, take this box and go put on the dress!"

Cinderella chuckled as she obeyed. Just let the kids have their fun.

When she opened the box she gasped. The dress was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen! It was light pink. The skirt was full with a layer of light pink tulle. The belt looked like a braided vine with flowers and butterflies connected to it. The bodice was the same color as the skirt and starting on the right side was a swirly vine design that went to till about three inches below the neckline, there were two small butterflies on the vines. The collar of the shirt had a braded vine with a pink flower in the middle. The sleeves were straight and went to the elbow, where they ended with a ruffle. The whole thing was covered in sparkles.

When she'd put the dress on and walked back to there the kids were waiting, they gasped.

"You look like a princess!" Tanya squealed "And you don't even have on a tiara yet!"

"First we have to fix your hair." Jilly instructed Cinderella to sit down on a log that they had thrown a blanket over "I washed my hands, so I won't get your hair dirty."

Cinderella's hair had curled as it dried, now she had small ringlets around her face.

Jilly pulled some of the hair on the sides back and pulled a butterfly barrette out of the bag, which she used to hold the hair where she placed it. Then she made sure the ringlets were still in place.

"Now, for the tiara."

"Tiara?" Cinderella shook her head "I don't need a tiara."

Tanya pulled a golden crown out of the bag "But we already secretly barrowed it!"

Cinderella sighed as the tiara was placed on her head.

Jonny clapped his hands "Pretty!"

Jilly pulled a pair of shoes out of the bag.

"Oh no!" Cinderella leapt to her feet "I haven't worn shoes in fourteen years and I'm not starting now!"

Jilly shrugged then dropped the shoes back into the bag "Well. You're ready!"

"How am I going to get food?" Cinderella asked.

Tanya raised her hand "I'm going to slip in under your skirt! Just walk over to the buffet table and I'll slip under the table and slip food into a bag! And when I'm done, I'll send you a signal and we'll leave."

Cinderella nodded "Good plan. Let's go!"


	4. The Ball

**Asher looked at **his reflection in the mirror. He was wearing his white nutcracker suit, as he called it.

He groaned "If I hadn't slipped out to town there wouldn't be a ball. And I wouldn't have to pick a bride that I don't love." He ran his hands through his hair "I guess I asked for it."

"Asher!" his mother called through the door "It's time to go down! The girls… I mean guests are arriving."

The prince rolled his eyes "Yes mother." He looked at himself one more time before he went downstairs.

As the ball went on, Asher sat in his throne watching all the people. There were no girls there that even seemed nice. They all appeared to be haughty and self-centered.

Then a girl in a pink dress caught his attention. Her hair was long and golden, and unlike the other girls, her face was sweet and sincere. She didn't have on any makeup, but her natural beauty outshone all the other girls.

He watched as she walked over to the buffet table and just stood there.

He slowing rose from his seat and walked towards her.

"Where's he going?" The queen whispered to her husband.

The king pointed to the golden haired beauty "I think he saw her."

Asher walked up behind the girl and tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around and looked at him, her eyes growing wide in shock.

Cinderella couldn't believe she was standing there looking into the eyes of Asher. Again.

Then her gaze flew to the crown on his head. She gasped "You're the prince?"

He chuckled softly and nodded "Apparently." Then he cocked his head "Have I met you before?"

Cinderella shook her head "I doubt that." There was no way she could tell him she was the girl he had met in the forest or he would know that she had stolen the dress... secretly borrowed.

He held his hand out to her "May I have the honor?"

"No." she shook her head and stepped back "I don't dance."

He gently took her hand "Then perhaps you can start."

She nodded mutely. There was nothing else she could do. Her feet moved on their own as he guided her to the center of the floor.

Tanya peeked out from under the table and stared "She said she wouldn't dance. Oh well." Then she continued slipping food off of the table into her bag.

As they started to dance, Cinderella found herself remembering back when she was a little girl. Her dad used to dance with her around the living while her mother watched and sang. Her feet started to move automatically to the tune.

Asher smiled at her "You're a wonderful dancer."

She blushed slightly "Thank you." she looked up and lost herself in those blue eyes again.

Asher was trying to figure out where he had seen this girl before. There was something about her face that was so familiar, but he couldn't place her. He loved how she was acting normal. She wasn't running his ear off or batting her eyelashes. She was just smiling sweetly.

As the ball continued, one song after another, the prince and Cinderella danced. They couldn't seem to stop.

When Tanya was finished getting all the food she could, she tried to signal Cinderella, but she wasn't paying attention she was lost in a world where only her and her prince existed.

Right about the middle of the ball, the king called a halt and thanked everyone for coming "I'm sorry to interrupt the dancing, but we would like to take a moment to remember our faithful sea captain. Captain James Howard."

Cinderella gasped as her father's name was mentioned. Then she spotted her stepmother talking to the queen.

The king sighed "He was a good friend and noble captain. He held his family high above everything else." He cleared his throat to push off emotions "We talked often. And now, we will play a song that he said was his wife's favorite, thus it was his favorite."

Asher bowed and extended his hand to her. She nodded and accepted his hand. When the intro to the music started, the memory of her mother singing that song flew through her mind. Her father looking lovingly over at her before asking his young girl to dance.

They were so happy then. She had everything she wanted and needed. When they started playing the song, Cinderella didn't realize she started singing. The prince looked at her in shock. Her voice was beautiful!

"_**There is music in the air**_

_**Can you hear it?**_

_**It's in two, no maybe three, or maybe four**_

_**And I see me dressed in white**_

_**With two feet that feel so light**_

_**It's as though they've never ever touched the floor!"**_

(Chorus)_**One Dance**_

_**Just you and me beneath the moon beside the sea**_

_**One Dance**_

_**And it's happily ever after**_

_**One dance**_

_**And you will see we're not so different you and me.**_

_**Just us two. Me and you.**_

_**One dance."**_

The rest of the guests cleared off the floor as the prince and Cinderella continued dancing.

As the song ended, Asher smiled down at her. How could someone feel so much for someone they had just met?

The whole building held its breath as the prince slowly started to lean in towards the girl. Closer and closer.

Tanya peeked out from under the table in just enough time to see Asher and Cinderella kiss. She gasped and losing her balance she fell into the floor.

"We have a little thief in here!" a guard shouted as Tanya scooted out from under the buffet table and ran.

Cinderella jumped away from the prince and watched in horror as the six year old ran out of the room, three guards right behind her. She spun around and ran for one of the nearby doors that lead into the palace gardens.

"Wait!" Asher called as he tried to grab her arm, but he grabbed her sleeve instead. Cinderella gasped as she felt the half the sleeve rip off. She looked at her arm, then up at Asher who was holding the half sleeve in his hand. Then she ran.

Asher heard the pattering of her feet as she ran for the exit? Hold on a second, patter of feet?

He looked down to the hem of her skirt that she had raised so she could run. Yep, she was barefooted. She ran out the door and disappeared. Asher skid to a stop when he reached the doorway. Which way did she go? He ran to the left, hoping he was right. As soon as he rounded a corner, Cinderella jumped down from her position in a tree that was right outside the door. She started to run, but her foot caught in the hem and the sound of cloth ripping filled the air. With a groan she lifted up the skirt and ran. She had to get to Tanya before the guards did! She was wishing she had on her old ripped clothes. They were so much easier to run in!

She spotted Tanya running pell-mell down the main street of town. After taking a few shortcuts, Cinderella outdistanced the guards and the running girl. She grabbed onto a tree and swung up. As soon as Tanya was close enough, she gave a low pitched whistle. The girl looked up and jumped. Cinderella grabbed her and pulled her up into the tree.

The guards ran underneath the tree and stopped.

Cinderella and Tanya were holding their breaths. Cinderella knew if they even glanced up they would see her. There was no way they would miss the bright pink dress covered in sparkles.

After what seemed like an eternity, the guards finally left. With a sigh of relief, the two runaways dropped to the ground.

"That was close." Cinderella said, letting out a big breath of air.

Tanya nodded "But… I've still got the food!"

Cinderella smiled "Come on. Jilly and Jonny are probably wondering where we are."

Tanya nodded "Probably. We've been gone for five hours!"

"We have?" Cinderella exclaimed as the clock struck midnight. She sighed "I guess we have."

They walked back to their little campsite where Jilly was pacing "I was starting to think you'd been captured!" she gushed.

Tanya handed her the bag of food "Just distracted." She waited until Cinderella had disappeared into the woods to change clothes before she spilled out everything that had happened at the ball "And then they kissed!"

"What!?" Jilly's mouth fell open "Cinderella and the prince?"

Tanya nodded "That's when I got found. I was so shocked, I fell right out from under the table!"

Cinderella walked back into the clearing, so the two girls quit talking.

She carefully placed the dress back into the box, and the accessories into the bag "I'm going to go ahead and return these, tonight."

The kids nodded as she left.

Cinderella slipped into the dress shop and placed the box on the shelf where a sticker that said "Pink butterfly dress" had been stuck.

She slipped back out the door and looked up at the castle. Bright lights were shining on the white brick, making in glow in the dark.

She sighed "No chance of that fairytale coming true." Then she went back into the woods, turning her back everything that had just happened.


	5. The Trap is Sprung

"**But who was **she?" The queen asked, the next morning as Asher paced around the room.

"I don't know." Asher answered, looking at the remainder of the sleeve in his hand "I wish I did though."

"Then we will find her!" the King declared.

There was a knock on the door and the dress maker came rushing in "You're Majesties!" he cried "I think my shop is haunted!" he was carrying a large white box underneath his arm.

"Why?" The queen asked.

The dressmaker opened the box and pulled a sparkly pink dress out of it.

Asher gasped and pulled the sleeve out of his pocket. He held it up to the dress "It's the dress she was wearing last night!"

The dress maker shook his head "Not possible. The person never arrived to claim the dress. So I put it in a box and put it on the shelf. When I opened up this morning it was exactly where I had left it. But it looked like this!"

The royals looked at the full extent of the dress. It was a mess. The hen on the front was torn. One sleeve was missing, there were snags in the tulle, and the bottom was covered in grass stains and dirt.

Something tugged at the back of Asher's mind, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"See!" the dressmaker cried "My shop is haunted! What do I do?"

"Relax for one thing." The queen answered "Go back to your shop and we'll think of something." The man opened his mouth to object, but the queen stopped him with a glare "Don't argue with me!"

The man bowed and ran away, leaving the dress behind.

Asher placed the sleeve he had next to where the sleeve was missing on the dress "I don't understand." He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair "Why did she run?"

**Lady Guinevere looked **out the window thoughtfully. She was sure that girl that the prince had danced with was her stepdaughter. And the fact that the girl had started singing that song was as much evidence as she needed.

"How to get rid of her, and get one of my daughters to marry the prince." She said to herself. She remembered hearing that people called her Cinderella, and that she was a well-known thief around the area. What if she caught Cinderella and turned her over to the police. But that wouldn't be enough to convince the king and queen that one of her daughters was the girl. Then another idea struck her. And the plan was perfect.

**Early the next **morning, Cinderella left the camp, telling the kids to stay put. Especially after the chase a few days earlier.

She arrived at the town and looked around. She smiled slightly when she saw the butcher delivery boy sit down a basket that had a smoking ham in it and go inside the weaponry.

She walked over to the basket and looked at it. Then she nonchalantly picked it up and walked away. She walked into an ally and peeked out, just as the delivery boy noticed his basket was missing. Cinderella chuckled, and then headed back for the camp.

"Easy picking today!" she called as she neared the place. There was no answer "Jilly! Tanya! Jonny!" she walked into the camp and looked around "Where are you?"

Then she spotted a piece of paper tacked to one of the trees. It said:

Cinderella

If you treasure the life the these children

Come to the police station, immediately.

Cinderella sighed as she waded up the piece of paper. She had to go rescue the kids! She couldn't just abandon them!

So, she dropped the basket and ran back for town. She hadn't taken three steps into the clearing before palace guards leapt from everywhere and grabbed her.

Lady Guinevere walked over to her with a smirk "Thought you'd get away, did you?"

"Where are the kids?" Cinderella demanded. The guards were having a hard time holding onto her.

Lady Guinevere pointed to where two guards were holding the three kids "Oh, don't worry about them. They'll be taken care of."

The glint in her eye told Cinderella exactly what she was going to do with them.

"No!" Cinderella screamed as the guards started dragging her away "Please! Don't send them back!"

But Lady Guinevere just laughed.

All the townspeople fell quiet as Cinderella was dragged towards the castle. They watched in shock as Cinderella tried to free herself while pleading for the children.

When they saw the three children crying, staring after the girl, the people looked at each other. They had misjudged her… terribly. But now, it was too late.

**Lady Guinevere walked **into the throne room "Your Majesties." She bowed.

"Yes?" the queen said,

"I have caught a criminal, and your guards were very helpful."

Asher leaned back into his seat, he hated it when criminals were drug in. Always the same thing. They plead innocent while they had a stolen jewel hanging around their neck.

"Magnificent!" The king loved these things "Bring him in!"

"Well actually." Lady Guinevere said as the guards came through the door "It's a her."

Asher gasped "Cinderella!" then to the shock of everyone he ran to her "Are you alright? What happened?"

Cinderella shook her head, tears streaming down her face "The kids! She sent them to Uganda!"

Asher's eyes grew wide "I'll try everything I can to get them away." He reached out and gently placed his hand on her cheek "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?"

She shook her head again, looking up into his face.

Asher stared at her. That nagging feeling in the back of his head came back as he looked into her face. He squinted his eyes "That was you." He whispered.

"Asher!" the queen screamed "Step away from her!"

But he didn't. He just stood there.

Upon demand of the king, one of the guards grabbed Asher and pulled him back.

The queen walked down to the captured girl "So you're Cinderella? The thief that everyone's always complaining about."

Asher wanted to tell him mom to let her go, and that she was the girl from the ball. But he knew that his mother would guess she'd stolen the dress.

"Yes Ma'am. I am." Cinderella answered, causing the queen to step back in shock.

"Well, I'm glad we won't have to deal with you anymore." The queen turned to the guards "Throw her in the dungeon."

"No!" Asher cried "Please mother! Don't do that!"

Cinderella looked at him "I'll be fine. Just please, save the children!" then she was drug away.

After the doors had closed behind the guards, Lady Guinevere looked at the queen "I am so glad to know that my rulers run things right."

The king nodded "We try our best."

"Which leads me to say something else." Lady Guinevere put on a worried face "My daughter arrived late for the ball."

Asher saw where she was going with this, and he didn't like it.

"You see, she was feeling sick, so we never got around to picking her dress up. When she was feeling batter, the dress maker had already gone to the ball." Lady Guinevere smoothed back her hair "Since the door was unlocked and we had already paid for the dress, she thought It'd be okay to go ahead and take it."

Asher rolled his eyes "Yeah. So why did she run?"

"She was starting to feel sick again." Cinderella turned around to hide her smirk, and then she made her voice sound distraught "Then on her way home, that Cinderella girl attacked her! She tried to take her jewelry and…. And…." She broke down into fake tears.

Asher felt his temper rising "Cinderella wouldn't do that." He said through gritted teeth.

The queen hushed him, then turned to Lady Guinevere "I am so sorry."

Lady Guinevere nodded "I had to protect my daughter! She was afraid to leave the house with that criminal still on the loose!"

The queen nodded "Understandable." Then she glanced back at Asher "Well, we found the girl from the ball. Now the royal wedding will take place."

"Mother no!" Asher shook his head wildly "Her daughter was not the girl at the ball!" he looked at Lady Guinevere "Tell me. What shoes was she wearing?"

"Her beautiful light pink ones with a rhinestone butterfly." The woman answered, wondering why he had asked.

Asher shook his head "No. she was barefooted."

The Queen huffed "What has that got to do with anything? You are marrying…"

"Lizzie."

"Lizzie! Tomorrow night!"

Asher drew back in horror "Tomorrow!?"

His mother nodded "Now, guards, take him to his room and don't let him escape!"

The guards nodded and led a reluctant and heartbroken prince away.


	6. Jail break!

**Cinderella was tossed**, non to gently, into one of the dungeon cells.

She pushed herself to a sitting position and stared at the ground. Her tears rolled off her face onto the dirt floor. Jilly, Tanya, and Jonny were going to go back to that horrible place that she had rescued them from. And there was nothing she could do about it.

**The next morning** the town was quiet. Nobody seemed to have anything to say. Cinderella had made their day interesting. And all she had been trying to do was take care of some kids. The children sat on the sidewalks and just stared at their toys. They didn't feel like playing. Their friend was gone. The only people in the town that were actually happy, was Lady Guinevere and her two daughters.

"It worked!" Lady Guinevere snickered "I've had my revenge on that street rat, and my daughter's going to marry the prince!" she looked in the mirror contentedly "And I got three times the money from Uganda for the kids!" she laughed "Life is good!"

Lizzie nodded as she looked at her wedding dress "I'm going to be a princess!"

Lulu sighed "And I'm going to be a Lady-in-waiting!"

Lady Guinevere nodded "But the best part is, Cinderella is out of our hair, for good."

**Asher looked at **the clock. Two hours till the wedding. He'd tried five times to slip out of the castle and go get the kids. But every time, he was caught.

He sat down on his bed with a huff "Why? Why did that have to be Cinderella? Why did I even have to go to town?" he put his face in his hands "None of this would have ever happened if I had stayed where I belonged."

**Cinderella was trying **to think of a way to get out of the dungeon. She had to save the kids! She couldn't just leave them there!

An old lady, escorted by a guard, came over to her cell. She was carrying a large steaming plate of food.

"Hello, Cinderella dear." The old woman said "I brought you something to eat."

Cinderella stared at the woman confused "Why?"

"Because…" the woman cleared her throat "We were all wrong about you. We know it's too late, but we want to set things right." She slid the plate under the door "So we're going to take care of you while you're here."

Cinderella smiled "Thank you." But she wasn't hungry. She was too worried to be hungry.

She looked up at the lady for a second, and then an idea struck her "May I ask a question?"

"Of course."

Cinderella glanced at the guard. She picked up the food "What do you use to make your biscuits?" she raised one hand and flicked the side of her hair.

The old woman stared at her "Um… flour…."

"Is that all?" Cinderella interrupted, scratching where she had just flicked.

The old woman suddenly realized what she was going. So as she went through the long list of ingredients, some that didn't go in, but the guard didn't notice, she reached up and pulled one of her bobby pins from her hair and dropped it onto the floor. Then she slightly kicked it so it slid into the cell.

When Cinderella had finished the plate, she walked over to the door and slid the plate out. She placed her foot on top of the bobby pin so the guard wouldn't see it.

"Thank you for the meal"

The old lady nodded "You're welcome." Then the guard led her away.

Cinderella grabbed the bobby pin from the floor and stuck it into the key hole. After a little bit of jiggling and turning, the door popped open.

She stuck the bobby pin in her hair and ran. She knew she wasn't out of danger yet, but she had to get to the kids.

As soon as she ran outside, she heard the guards start shouting. Then she heard one shout "There she goes! After her!"

She ran faster than she ever had in her life! As she tore through the streets of the town, the people started cheering. The kids jumped to their feet "Run Cinderella! Run!"

She smiled slightly, but she kept running.

"Don't let her get to the woods!" one guard shouted "We'll lose her!"

A gun shot sounded and the bullet hit the ground half an inch away from her left foot.

"Hey!" a woman screamed "There are kids playing out here!"

Cinderella pressed ahead. She could see the trees! If she could just make it to the trees!

She ran harder, and then with a jump she climbed a tree and flattened herself against the trunk.

The guards skid to a stop "Where did she go?"

She was breathing so hard she thought they'd hear her, but they were shouting louder.

"Let's go!" the captain of the guards shouted "She might try to bust out the kids!"

Cinderella groaned. That was the plan. After they left she ran for the home of Uganda, hoping she'd get there before the guards did.


	7. The weddingCassidy

**Asher was in **his wedding uniform, which was the same thing he'd worn to the ball. He looked ready, but he wasn't.

All he could think about was Cinderella locked in the dungeon. He knew she would never attack anyone. But he didn't have proof.

That lady that had her arrested was terrible. He knew she'd made up the whole story, and I guess Cinderella was an easy target. He sighed as he lifted his crown and placed it on his head. There was no way to stop it now.

**Cinderella looked at **the house from the trees. The guards were standing around the entire building.

"How am I going to get in?" She asked herself. Then her attention was drawn to a tree that was by the house. And there were several trees close to that one. Maybe she could get to the roof.

**Asher walked out** with his father and mother and stood at the end of the isle. The entire kingdom was there.

**Cinderella managed to **make it to the roof, but not without being seen.

"She's in the house!" a guard shouted "Quick! Inside!"

Cinderella ran through the halls "Jilly! Tanya! Jonny! Where are you?"

She could hear the guards running through the door downstairs "Where are you three?"

**The wedding march **started and Asher watched as Lizzie started the down the long two hundred yard aisle. But it still wasn't long enough. If only the aisle would stretch so the wedding could never happen.

**She managed to **slip down the stairs without being seen. She found the kids in the kitchen.

They ran to her "We thought we'd never see you again!" Jilly whispered.

Cinderella hugged all three of them "I'll always be there for you. Now, we need to get out."

The kitchen door burst open, and there stood a guard!

**Lizzie finally reached **where the prince was waiting. She sent him a toothy smile and batted her eyelashes rapidly. Another way he knew she was the wrong girl.

He sighed and shook his head. If only the ground would swallow him.

**Cinderella and the **three kids ran for the kitchen door.

A guard appeared in their way, but they kept running.

"Stop!" the guard shouted. But they didn't "Halt!" they didn't even slow down.

They ran right into him, sending him sprawling on the ground. Then they ran out the door and into the woods, with fifty men chasing them. Cinderella picked up Jonny and grabbed Tanya's hand. Jilly grabbed Tanya's other hand and ran as fast as she could.

"We can't stop." Cinderella told the kids "We have to keep going!"

They nodded in understanding. Cinderella had someplace to go. And she was determined to get there.

"**And do you** Prince Asher take Miss Lizzie to be your wife?" the priest said

"He does." The queen answered.

The priest blinked then turned to Lizzie "Do you Miss Lizzie, take His Royal Highness, Prince Asher to be your husband?"

Lizzie batted her eyelashes "I do!"

Asher groaned. This could not be happening.

"Then by the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you…"

"Stop!"

Everyone spun around as the back doors swung open and the voice echoed through the room. Cinderella was standing in the doorway, the three kids behind her.

She walked up to where her stepsister was standing.

"An outrage!" The queen screamed.

"Your Majesties." Cinderella said "I'm here to set something right. Lizzie is not the girl that Asher danced with at the ball. I am."

The crowd gasped.

"Preposterous!" The King shouted "There is no way!"

"Actually, Your Highness, there is." Cinderella looked him in the eye, and then reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out the butterfly barrette that had been in her hair that night.

Everyone gasped. Was it possible?

The guards that had been chasing them ran through the doors just then "There she is!"

"Listen to me!" Cinderella said as the guards grabbed her arms "You don't want him to marry Lizzie! She doesn't love him!"

Lady Guinevere rushed up to the stage "She lies! it's all a plot to get the kingdom!"

"Take her away!" The King ordered "And this time, make sure she doesn't escape!"

"Please just listen!" Cinderella begged "She'll destroy you!"

"Get her out of here!" Lady Guinevere screeched.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" A voice boomed through the room, causing everyone to look towards the back doors.

An older man with a ragged beard and grizzled hair was standing in the doorway. His clothes were wrinkled and torn, but he was standing straight and tall.

Cinderella looked back and gasped "Daddy?"

Captain James Howard looked at the girl that the guards were holding "Cassidy?"

Cinderella pulled away from the guards and ran up the isle "Dad! You're alive!"

He met her halfway, picked her up and spun her around "My little angel!"

She tightened her arms around his neck "I can't believe you're alive!" happy tears flowed down her cheeks as she clung to the man that she thought had dies.

Asher watched them, smiling broadly.

The king and queen looked at each other "Cinderella was James's daughter?"

When the father and daughter finally pulled away from each other, he looked at her messed up hair all the way down to her bare feet "What happened?"

Cassidy looked back at her stepmother and two stepsisters "Well…"

Lady Guinevere started to walk away "I think we have some catching up to do. Huh?"

Asher stepped forward "Since Cinderella… I mean, Cassidy isn't going to speak, I will." He looked at the girl and smiled "She's been running the streets. Having to take care of herself and three other kids by stealing."

"And why?" James asked.

"Lady Guinevere tried to hand her over to Uganda." Asher answered, causing everyone in the room to gasp for the third time since Cassidy had arrived "But, she ran. She survived by stealing the food she needed, then helping others. She rescued three other kids from the woman and raised them too."

Captain Howard looked down at his daughter, then up at his wife "You kicked my daughter out of my house?"

"W…we thought you were dead." Lady Guinevere stammered lamely "We didn't think you were coming back."

"The reason I married you was so if anything happened to me, Cassidy would still have somebody!" He shook his head "You let me and my daughter down. You will be punished."

The queen sat down on her throne "Guards! Take those three away!"

The guards grabbed Lady Guinevere and her two daughters and dragged them to the dungeon.

Captain Howard chuckled "I'll get them out later." He looked at his daughter and smiled "I knew you'd look like your mother when you grew up."

The king cleared his throat "Well. I guess everyone's dismissed. There's no wedding."

"Actually." Asher said, walking towards where Cassidy and her father were standing "If she accepts, there will be." He held his hand out to her "What do you say? Will you be my real bride?"

Cassidy laughed with joy as she threw her arms around the Prince's neck "Yes!"

The crowd started cheering. They were all happy that their Cinderella was going to get her happily ever after.

Jilly, Tanya, and Jonny walked over to them.

"Cinderella." Jilly said quietly "What about us?"

Cassidy looked at the children then up at Asher, who chuckled and nodded "Y'all are going to live here with us."

"Really?" Tanya screamed "Live in the castle? Like princesses?"

Cassidy nodded "I promised I would never desert you."

The three kids hugged her "We love you… Mama."

Captain Howard sniffed "I've already got three grandchildren! I'm old!"

Cassidy laughed as she stood back to her feet.

The queen called some maids "Please take Cassidy and the three children and get them cleaned up. We've got a wedding to do!"

**Now Asher was** watching as his true bride walked down the aisle. Where the wedding dress had come from, he didn't know, and he didn't care. It was the same style and had the same design as the gown she had worn to the ball. She looked even more beautiful than he had ever seen her. Her smile had no stress behind it. She had no worries anymore, and the years of hardship had just made her stronger.

The three kids were walking in front of her. Tanya was the flower girl. Jonny the ring bearer, and Jily was the maid of honor.

Cassidy was walking down the aisle, her arm looped through her fathers, but her eyes were on the Prince.

When they reached where he was waiting, Asher held out his hand to her and she took it. Then they turned to face the priest.

The three kids watched happily as their family came together. And as the years passed, Asher and Cassidy had their own children. Uganda had been thrown into the dungeon and an orphanage was opened, run by the sweetest couple in town.

Lady Guinevere, Lizzie and Lulu had to work in the orphanage. If they said one harsh word to the children, they had to work an hour longer than usual.

**Cassidy was standing **on a balcony, listening to the happy laughter of children in the yard.

Asher walked out behind her "Hey."

She smiled at him "Hi."

He stepped beside her and slid an arm over her shoulder "Is everything alright?"

She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed "Yes. Everything is perfect."

THE END


	8. COMING SOON! Sequel Info

**Coming Soon!**

Jilly slid off her horse's back, kicked off her shoes, and walked around, taking in the silence of everything around her.

But the silence was suddenly disturbed as the sound of rushing feet sounded nearby.

A boy, right around her age, came tearing into the clearing, panting heavily. His face was strained and his clothes were torn and dirty.

When he saw Jilly, he skid to a stop. The sound of heavy footsteps approached quickly.

"You'll want to run." He said to her, before taking off again "And I mean it! Run!"

Jilly ran after him, matching his pace perfectly "What's going on?" she called to him.

"There's some people chasing me that will hurt anyone!" he answered.

Jilly nodded "Then follow me, and be prepared to jump!"

He sent her a confused look but kept running.

Jilly weaved in and out through the trees, the boy right behind her "Jump!" she called to him.

She jumped up into a tree, then grabbed his wrist and pulled him up after her. They scurried further up the tree, then pressed their backs up against the trunk.

A group of fifteen, fully armed, men ran under them. They were all over six feet tall and built like bulldogs.

Jilly watched as they disappeared into the trees. She could hear the boy beside her breathing deeply, his breath coming in short quick gasps.

She looked over at him and watched in horror as he groaned and fell from the tree.

**I've had a couple requests to make a sequel, so I am. It's still a work in progress, but is coming along.**

**I hope you look forward to it! **


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